Six years for burglar who fired six legal teams

By Claire Henry

A Dublin man who fired six different legal teams has been sentenced to six years in prison for burglary.

Stephen Wilson (46) of Brehon Grove, Kingston, Dublin 16, pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary which took place in the early hours of April 24, 2020.

The burglary took place at 25 Leeson Street Lower.

The building comprises two apartments on the top floor and offices on the first and ground floor, which are occupied by The Agency and Sea Spray.

Garda Kevin Cassidy told Karl Moran BL, prosecuting, that gardai received a call from a woman living in a top-floor apartment on Leeson St Lower.

The woman had woken at about 2.20 am when she heard loud banging coming from the offices below her apartment.

The woman went to her front door and could hear someone running up the stairs.

She called gardai who arrived within minutes.

A couple living in a second apartment also woke to the sound of banging and one of them went to the front door, where he could hear someone breathing heavily outside.

He then heard gardai outside his door.

When gardaí arrived, they entered the property on Lesson Street by kicking in the door.

Gardaí made their way to the top floor, where they found Wilson, who was seen trying to push in an apartment door.

Gardaí told him to “get on the ground”, but he did not comply.

He was then restrained and arrested.

Gardaí saw extensive damage to internal doors within the offices, and many offices had been rifled through.

Wilson has 89 previous convictions, which include convictions for burglary, trespassing with a knife or weapon, criminal damage and public order offences.

Wilson, who appeared via video link, represented himself. He stated that he was let into the building by three others.

He asked Garda Cassidy if it was the gardaí who had kicked in the front door of the building, and the garda confirmed it was.

Judge Patricia Ryan said the accused pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary.

She said that Wilson had discharged six legal teams.

Judge Ryan said the fact that the offences took place at night, that the accused has previous convictions of a similar nature and the impact the burglary has had on the residents of the apartment were all aggravating factors.

Judge Ryan took Wilson’s guilty plea into consideration and sentenced him to five years in prison for the burglary of the offices and six years in prison for the burglary of the residential property.

Both sentences are to run concurrently and will be backdated from when Wilson went into custody.